Mutterings of a Music History Major (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thescarletwoman) wrote2007-12-21 10:41 pm
thescarletwoman) wrote2007-12-21 10:41 pm
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Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd...
Alright -- I'm going to preface this review with... something most of you know. Number one, I'm a theatre fanatic. Number two, I'm a Sondheim fanatic. Number three, part of my senior thesis was on Sweeney (specifically "Pretty Women").
That being said -- I liked the movie. I honestly did. The cool thing was that we were sandwiched between theatre people who knew the show in front of us (yay Playhouse people going to see it on opening day) and people who were there because of Johnny Depp behind us. And it was brilliant listening to the Depp!fangirls figuring things out as it went along.
**Note: Spoilers Beneath the Cut**
The Movie Itself
Like I said, I really liked it. It's very close to the musical version. I was THRILLED to see that it was Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations and that Paul Gemignani was conducting. As he should. Yes, they cut things -- but then again, the general population is not going to sit through a three hour "opera". I put the term in quotes as Sondheim doesn't like calling it an opera, but I digress.
I missed the Ballads. I missed certain songs that they cut. And I missed the whole spoken section of "A Little Priest". Come on... there was no 'locksmith' line. It's one of the best.
The costumes and the look of the movie were spot-on. If there's anything that TIm Burton does well, it's melodrama and as Sondheim loves melodrama... the look and feel was perfect. Yes, there's a lot of blood. But... you know. It's about cannibalism.
The ending... just was there. Toby slits Todd's throat and he bleeds to death holding the body of his wife. And then it ends. Me being the b'way fanatic that I am... I love the ending with the ballad being sung, then Todd appears at the back of the company, the cast clears the stage, he laughs maniacally then slams an iron door shut plunging the theatre into complete darkness. That's SO much more powerful than the fade to black Burton did.
Did I mention I missed the Ballads? Because I did. A fucking lot. Which also makes no sense as, for the longest time, on IMDB, Anthony Stewart Head was listed as being in the cast as the Ballad Ghost. Don't get that one.
Also -- God That's Good was totally in the wrong place. It worked where it was, but I was afraid that they were going to cut THAT song as well...
The one thing I will say about this version is that it made Todd not be as much of a sympathetic character. That was the reason that Sondheim liked the Christopher Bond version when he saw it performed in London. Whereas the normal legend of Sweeney showed the man to be nothing more than a murderer, Bond painted him as a more sympathetic character. Him being sent away from his wife for no other reason than Judge Turpin fell in love with his wife. Thus, when he returns to London intent on revenge... it's for a reason. It's not... just because he wants to kill. And that's the feeling I got from this version.
Not many people will get this, but I missed the factory whistle. At least there was a bit of the organ in the overture. It gave it a bit of the old-time horror film feel, which is what Sondheim was going for in the musical.
I should stop here before I retype half of my thesis in this review.
The Actors
Sweeney: *points to icon* HOWEVER. I really liked him. He had the right look and acting-wise he was bloody fantastic. Singing, however, left a bit to be desired. As I've said before, Sweeney is quite possibly one of the most difficult roles in the musical theatre literature for males. And it was being done by a non-singer. But he did an admirable job and I was, overall, pleased. And his rendition of "Epiphany" was wonderful. Gets a little whiny on some of the notes though and at times is a little too thin-voiced for my tastes.
At some points, though -- he didn't have the intensity I wanted. I saw a version of Sweeney when I lived in Cleveland that Cleveland Opera did... and seriously... I've never seen a better version. Even on B'way.
Mrs Lovett: Again, Angela Lansbury is the definitive Mrs Lovett. And I have seen Patti LuPone do it too. She was wonderful. A little flat at times, but she had the perfect feel for the role. I liked her rendition a lot and the fantasy scene of "By the Sea" really rocked. Not as impressed with "Worst Pies in London". She tried... but it just wasn't there. "By the Sea" was probably my favourite section of the movie -- her enthusiasm matched with Sweeney's reluctance was spot-on. What Helena had was the perfect scheming attitude and you could tell from point one that she loved Todd. And also she did the one little thing that I always watch for. She gasped at the "ah, a customer" as if she recognised Todd. A little thing... but something rather important.
When it comes to her singing... she's just weak. It's done a lot at a whisper with a reedy sounding voice. There's no bawdy-ness. There's no real comic delivery. Again... I look to angela Lansbury. But then again, I"m spoiled with her performance.
Toby: Dude. The little kid can sing. I LOVED seeing a boy that young playing the role of Toby as usually it's a teenaged boy. I REALLY missed the ending where the police come in and he's at the meat grinder, hair completely white and has gone insane from all he's seen. But the kid was adorable.
Johanna and Anthony: Going to group the two of them together here. As newcommers they were brilliant. Anthony had probably the best voice of the entire movie. Though I missed "Kiss Me", especially "Kiss Me" in counterpoint to "Ladies in their Sensitivities". It's really where Sondheim's genius shines through. But they were wonderful and I would have liked to see more of them.
Judge Turpin: Alan Rickman was the number one reason I went to see the film rather than waiting for it to come to DVD. He didn't disappoint at all. I did miss his version of "Johanna", him whipping himself for watching his ward undress and the accompanying line "how pretty you look in that light muslin gown". He lacked the lasciviousness that I love in Turpin. He was wonderfully creepy with his little peep-hole into her room. The movie was rated R -- they could have had the implied chan in this. But without him whipping himself and knowing his motives for marrying Johanna... gyah. It's such a defining moment in his character that I really missed. But him and Depp singing "Pretty Women"? Bloody fantastic.
The Beedle: I've seen some people say that Timothy Spall is being typecast for the snivelling assistant. Be that as it may -- he was exactly what was needed in the role. He was greasy and horrible and wonderful. And not a bad singer either.
Pirelli: Rocked my socks. The falsetto note was brilliant. *g* No complaints about him at all and he was perfectly over-the-top.
Lucy: I COMPLETELY hated what they did to her. She was... just insane. I missed her horniness. She accosts both Todd and Anthony and, after getting coin from them, sings the most lewd things. So it didn't show just how mental she had become. Plus, they cut one of her "Don't I know you?"s. Which... is something key in the film.
Like I said, I loved the film. I really dideven if I pointed out a lot of things I didn't like/missed. Again, I lived with this show for over a year. I'm going to be hyper critical. Though there were a lot of things that I missed -- it was still good and I cannot stress that enough. And I'll probably see it again before it leaves the theatre. I highly suggest everyone go see it as it is a great rendition of Sweeney. For those who have never seen the stage production and probably won't, it's a wonderful introduction to Sweeney. You get the story and a perfect feel for it.
For those of us who are completely obsessed with it... hope and pray you get to see it live one day. The movie will do for now, but if you really want to see a production of Sweeney, then rent the television broadcast starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn.
That being said -- I liked the movie. I honestly did. The cool thing was that we were sandwiched between theatre people who knew the show in front of us (yay Playhouse people going to see it on opening day) and people who were there because of Johnny Depp behind us. And it was brilliant listening to the Depp!fangirls figuring things out as it went along.
**Note: Spoilers Beneath the Cut**
The Movie Itself
Like I said, I really liked it. It's very close to the musical version. I was THRILLED to see that it was Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations and that Paul Gemignani was conducting. As he should. Yes, they cut things -- but then again, the general population is not going to sit through a three hour "opera". I put the term in quotes as Sondheim doesn't like calling it an opera, but I digress.
I missed the Ballads. I missed certain songs that they cut. And I missed the whole spoken section of "A Little Priest". Come on... there was no 'locksmith' line. It's one of the best.
The costumes and the look of the movie were spot-on. If there's anything that TIm Burton does well, it's melodrama and as Sondheim loves melodrama... the look and feel was perfect. Yes, there's a lot of blood. But... you know. It's about cannibalism.
The ending... just was there. Toby slits Todd's throat and he bleeds to death holding the body of his wife. And then it ends. Me being the b'way fanatic that I am... I love the ending with the ballad being sung, then Todd appears at the back of the company, the cast clears the stage, he laughs maniacally then slams an iron door shut plunging the theatre into complete darkness. That's SO much more powerful than the fade to black Burton did.
Did I mention I missed the Ballads? Because I did. A fucking lot. Which also makes no sense as, for the longest time, on IMDB, Anthony Stewart Head was listed as being in the cast as the Ballad Ghost. Don't get that one.
Also -- God That's Good was totally in the wrong place. It worked where it was, but I was afraid that they were going to cut THAT song as well...
The one thing I will say about this version is that it made Todd not be as much of a sympathetic character. That was the reason that Sondheim liked the Christopher Bond version when he saw it performed in London. Whereas the normal legend of Sweeney showed the man to be nothing more than a murderer, Bond painted him as a more sympathetic character. Him being sent away from his wife for no other reason than Judge Turpin fell in love with his wife. Thus, when he returns to London intent on revenge... it's for a reason. It's not... just because he wants to kill. And that's the feeling I got from this version.
Not many people will get this, but I missed the factory whistle. At least there was a bit of the organ in the overture. It gave it a bit of the old-time horror film feel, which is what Sondheim was going for in the musical.
I should stop here before I retype half of my thesis in this review.
The Actors
Sweeney: *points to icon* HOWEVER. I really liked him. He had the right look and acting-wise he was bloody fantastic. Singing, however, left a bit to be desired. As I've said before, Sweeney is quite possibly one of the most difficult roles in the musical theatre literature for males. And it was being done by a non-singer. But he did an admirable job and I was, overall, pleased. And his rendition of "Epiphany" was wonderful. Gets a little whiny on some of the notes though and at times is a little too thin-voiced for my tastes.
At some points, though -- he didn't have the intensity I wanted. I saw a version of Sweeney when I lived in Cleveland that Cleveland Opera did... and seriously... I've never seen a better version. Even on B'way.
Mrs Lovett: Again, Angela Lansbury is the definitive Mrs Lovett. And I have seen Patti LuPone do it too. She was wonderful. A little flat at times, but she had the perfect feel for the role. I liked her rendition a lot and the fantasy scene of "By the Sea" really rocked. Not as impressed with "Worst Pies in London". She tried... but it just wasn't there. "By the Sea" was probably my favourite section of the movie -- her enthusiasm matched with Sweeney's reluctance was spot-on. What Helena had was the perfect scheming attitude and you could tell from point one that she loved Todd. And also she did the one little thing that I always watch for. She gasped at the "ah, a customer" as if she recognised Todd. A little thing... but something rather important.
When it comes to her singing... she's just weak. It's done a lot at a whisper with a reedy sounding voice. There's no bawdy-ness. There's no real comic delivery. Again... I look to angela Lansbury. But then again, I"m spoiled with her performance.
Toby: Dude. The little kid can sing. I LOVED seeing a boy that young playing the role of Toby as usually it's a teenaged boy. I REALLY missed the ending where the police come in and he's at the meat grinder, hair completely white and has gone insane from all he's seen. But the kid was adorable.
Johanna and Anthony: Going to group the two of them together here. As newcommers they were brilliant. Anthony had probably the best voice of the entire movie. Though I missed "Kiss Me", especially "Kiss Me" in counterpoint to "Ladies in their Sensitivities". It's really where Sondheim's genius shines through. But they were wonderful and I would have liked to see more of them.
Judge Turpin: Alan Rickman was the number one reason I went to see the film rather than waiting for it to come to DVD. He didn't disappoint at all. I did miss his version of "Johanna", him whipping himself for watching his ward undress and the accompanying line "how pretty you look in that light muslin gown". He lacked the lasciviousness that I love in Turpin. He was wonderfully creepy with his little peep-hole into her room. The movie was rated R -- they could have had the implied chan in this. But without him whipping himself and knowing his motives for marrying Johanna... gyah. It's such a defining moment in his character that I really missed. But him and Depp singing "Pretty Women"? Bloody fantastic.
The Beedle: I've seen some people say that Timothy Spall is being typecast for the snivelling assistant. Be that as it may -- he was exactly what was needed in the role. He was greasy and horrible and wonderful. And not a bad singer either.
Pirelli: Rocked my socks. The falsetto note was brilliant. *g* No complaints about him at all and he was perfectly over-the-top.
Lucy: I COMPLETELY hated what they did to her. She was... just insane. I missed her horniness. She accosts both Todd and Anthony and, after getting coin from them, sings the most lewd things. So it didn't show just how mental she had become. Plus, they cut one of her "Don't I know you?"s. Which... is something key in the film.
Like I said, I loved the film. I really did
For those of us who are completely obsessed with it... hope and pray you get to see it live one day. The movie will do for now, but if you really want to see a production of Sweeney, then rent the television broadcast starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn.
I'm seeing it
I always see Johnny Depp movies...he is just great in all of his...I loved the corpse bride, edward scissorhands...so that is a given.
by the way...such nice sweet pics of the Finne boy. I really am not to fond of the snake nose, he is such a nice looking fella...
no subject
daughter=WTF?
Me=Yay! Sweeney! *flails some more*
daughter=I'll pretend I have any idea of what you're talking about.
Me=SWEENEY!!! *flails* Johnny Depp and Helena Bohnam Carter and Alan Rick-
daughter interrupts=Say no more, I understand you perfectly now.
no subject
I couldn't get into a lot more detail, but frankly it isn't really related, I just randomly thought that.
Anyways, the movie sounds interesting, if only to get a different take on it. I'm interested to see how it all rounds out and what picture they are going to present. I'll definitely go to see it soon.
no subject
And the way I understand it, when they had to put production on hold and came back, Anthony Stewart Head had other commitments so he couldn't do it...and I guess they cut the scene? It's something to that degree.